CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Title: "Salvation: Forever and Always: Elusive Dreams – PART III"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #9 in the Salvation series. The bonds of family bring the Five-0 ohana even closer.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!
Date Written: November 16, 2012
A/N: Just wanted to let you all know that Caroline's and Danny's part of this story is NOT over as they still have some issues to be resolved. Those of you who know my writing style know that I throw several plot lines into most of my stories and this one is no exception. Please keep those suggestions coming; I'm doing my best to incorporate as many of them into this story as possible and hope I'm doing them justice. If not, please send me a p/m and let me know. Thank you all so very much for reading and reviewing my work; I truly appreciate all of you and consider myself very fortunate to have such dedicated and loyal readers! Michelle
(For the remainder of the day, everyone seems to be in a relaxed mood for the first time in months, Caroline in particular. Grace, as usual, keeps them all on their toes. After lunch, they return to the McGarrett's and break out their swimsuits so they can head down to the beach behind Sam's and Steve's house and spend the day playing in the water. Watching Sam and Steve laughing as they play in the surf with Emily, Caroline experiences a moment or two of pain, but she has promised herself that she's going to do her best to stay positive so that she and Danny can work through their grief over the loss of their son. By the time they've all gone back up to the house, showered off and changed, Libby decides that, all things considered, the day has turned out much better than she expected. Caroline and Grace are sitting on the sofa talking quietly when Danny spots a bag from the infants and children's store the two visited just before they left the mall earlier in the day. Both his wife and daughter are very aware of the fact that he stops and is completely still for a few moments, and they stand up and, hand in hand, walk over to where he is standing. Ever so gently, Caroline touches his arm to get his attention and Grace reaches for the bag at the same time. Sam and Steve and Libby and Mike have been talking about how quickly Emily is learning to swim, but Steve notices what's happening a few feet away and their conversation comes to a halt when they follow the direction of his gaze.)
"Mom and I went shopping for Gabe, too, Danno. Since neither one of us ever got to see him, we thought we'd get something special, just for him from the two of us, and we could take it to him. Can we, Danno? Please?"
(Danny's vision starts to blur as he looks first at Caroline and then down at Grace. In her hands, the little girl is holding a stuffed angel. Danny quickly drops to the sofa and Caroline drops down beside him as he hugs his daughter tightly and then puts one arm around his wife. Surprisingly, Caroline is not crying although there are unshed tears in her eyes as she, too, slips an arm around Grace and the other around her husband and adds her voice to Grace's.)
"Grace told me you put Gus . . In the casket with Gabe, Danny. She picked this out and we thought the three of us could take it to the cemetery this afternoon."
"Yes. We can absolutely do that, and . . Grace? You're a very special young lady and Danno loves you very much."
"I love you, too, Danno."
"Okay, then, let's go visit Gabe and then we can stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things and I'm going to make my homemade lasagna tonight, Grace; just for you."
(And a great, big grin spreads across Grace's little face because Caroline's lasagna is one of her all-time favorite things. Quickly bouncing around the room to give her aunt and uncle, her cousin, and her grandparents hugs and kisses, Grace helps Caroline gather up their things and they are ready to go. Danny has pulled himself together and he and Caroline also get hugs before they head out the door. Libby, moved to tears by what just happened, gently takes Emily from Steve and hugs the little girl tightly as she walks over to sit on the sofa and sits down to spend time with one grandchild while remembering the loss of another. Sam invites Libby and Mike to stay for dinner, but Libby quickly declines saying that she's tired after the enjoyable, but long day they've all had and she and Mike soon take their leave. After they've eaten and are waiting for one of Emily's favorite DVDs to load as they sit on the sofa with Emily in her Daddy's lap, Sam sends Steve a look that makes him uneasy. Sam doesn't say anything, though, until Emily has gone to sleep lying on her Daddy's chest and Steve has carried their daughter upstairs and put her to bed. When he turns to go back into his and Sam's bedroom, his unease increases considerably because Sam is standing at the foot of their bed with her arms crossed in front of her and the expression on her face is one that puts Steve on immediate alert. Sam's quietly spoken question only confirms his suspicion that she is thinking about finding him and her parents in their driveway after the girls got back from their shopping trip earlier in the day and he starts getting a really bad feeling.)
"What were you and my parents talking about this morning out in the driveway, Steve?"
"We're all worried about you, Sam."
"Yeah, that's what I thought. The three of you were talking about me behind my back. We've all been under a lot of stress lately, Steve, and I had a bad dream."
"It's more than that, Sam, and you know it."
"My sister's come back from the oblivion she lived in for two months, I've had my little meltdown after my nightmare, things are getting back to normal; I'm fine."
"You're not fine, Sam!"
"Of course, I am, Steve."
"Sam, both your mother and I have noticed that, emotionally, you seem to be going from one extreme to the other in the space of a few minutes; almost like you're two different people. You are not fine! You told me you thought it was time you talked to someone about your parents' deaths and I think you need to call Capt. Stewart first thing Monday morning and make an appointment."
"I don't need to talk to Capt. Stewart, Steve, everything is fine now that Caroline's snapped out of whatever it was that had a hold of her."
"No, Sam, everything is not fine and you do need to talk to Capt. Stewart. Baby, please, just talk to him. If you won't do it for yourself or for me, do it for Emily."